Forget Bed Bugs: Stink Bugs Are America’s Newest Pest

You’ve managed to win the fight against those blood-thirsty bed bugs who tried to take over your apartment.

You spent sleepless nights, flicking away the enemy, and tried every known method to make yourself less tasty. And, now you’ve vanquished your vampiric foe, you think you deserve some rest from the crawling insects that are trying to take over your property.

NewsFeed hates to be the bearer of bad news, but we’re sorry, you’re going to have to gear up and prepare your olfactory senses against another invader: the stink bug.

According to the Daily Mail, there is a current stink bug epidemic that has taken over 33 U.S. states to date. Normally, these smelly bugs live along the mid-Atlantic coast, but they’ve decided it’s time to spread their scent across America. Homes across the country have found these dime-sized creatures snuggling in their bed and creeping along the floor. The only places that seemed to avoid this malady seem to be in the Rockies and the Plains. Go figure, even stink bugs don’t want to move there. (We kid, we kid!)

While these bugs don’t suck blood or bite, they emit a pretty foul odor when squished or shocked with an electric flyswatter. And, if you leave them alone, they still spray their scent as a defense mechanism, so you can’t win. Experts suggest catching them on a newspaper and dropping them off outside or catching them with a tissue and giving them a goldfish funeral, a.k.a. flushing them down the toilet. It may not be as satisfying, but at least you don’t have to worry about dealing with the stink.